Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia to contest Haryana Assembly elections as Congress candidates
Haryana Assembly elections 2024: Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined the Congress on Wednesday afternoon and will contest next month's Haryana Assembly election.
Phogat is likely to run for the Julana seat currently held by the Jannayak Janta Party's Amarjeet Dhanda. Punia's likely seat is unclear. The two met with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, and the news of their political and electoral debut was confirmed.
Phogat and Punia made headlines last year for leading rallies against former wrestling body chief Brij Bhushan Singh, who is accused of sexual assault and intimidation. He was also a BJP MP at the time, however he was denied a ticket to represent Uttar Pradesh's Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency.
The BJP instead fielded his son, Karan Bhushan Singh, who won the seat.
Congress hopes that having Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia on board will boost its appeal to voters in the Hindi heartland state, which the BJP has dominated since 2014. Phogat's relationships with Haryana farmers, many of whom continue to agitate against the BJP over issues such as legal guarantees for MSP, probably have played a role in the Congress' decision.
- PTC NEWS
